The coats of arms of the U.S. states are coats of arms, that are an official symbol of the state, alongside their seal. Eighteen states have officially adopted coats of arms. The former independent Republic of Texas and Kingdom of Hawaii each had a separate national coat of arms, which are no longer used.
Heraldic arms were worn (embroidered) on a coat which knights wore over their armor, hence coat of arms,[1] a term which dates back roughly 1,000 years[2] to jousting tournaments.[3] A state coat of arms may exist independently of the seal, but the reverse is not generally the case.[4] A seal contains a coat of arms or other devices[5] [6] whereas a state coat of arms constitutes the bulk of a seal,[6] [7] except for the wording identifying it as the "Great Seal of the State of..."[8] A "seal" has been described as the design impressed on public or legislative official documents,[9] whereas a coat of arms generally appears for illustrative purposes. Examples include flags and banners,[10] and state militia uniform caps[11] and buttons,[12] as well as specifically-designed regimental coats of arms for U.S. Infantry Regiments, and National Guard units.[13]
See also: Coats of arms of U.S. Support Battalions.
See also: List of U.S. state, district, and territorial seals, Seals of governors of the U.S. states, Flags of the U.S. states and territories, List of U.S. state, district, and territorial insignia and List of U.S. county and city insignia.
| State | Arms | Adoption | Blazon | Article |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Coat of arms of the state of Alabama, adopted March 14, 1939[14] Statehood – 14 December 1819 Arms – 29 December 1868[15] | Quarterly, the first Azure three fleurs-de-lis Or; the second quarterly first and fourth Gules a triple-towered castle Or masoned Sable and ajoure the first [viz., Azure], second and third Argent a lion rampant the third [viz., Gules] crowned, langued and armed the second [viz., Or]; third the first [viz., Azure], the crosses-saltires of St. Andrew and St. Patrick quartered per saltire counter changed argent and the third [viz., Gules]; the latter fimbriated of the second, surmounted by the cross of St. George of the third, fimbriated as the saltire; fourth the third [viz., Gules] a saltire the first [viz., Azure] fimbrated the fifth [viz., Argent], in saltire ten stars the fifth; overall an escutcheon of the third [viz., Gules] six pellets the fifth [viz., Argent] under a chief of the first [viz., Azure]. | Coat of arms of Alabama (Wikimedia Commons category) | |
| Connecticut | Statehood – 9 January 1788 Arms – October 1842[16] Arms of the state of Connecticut, adopted March 24, 1931[17] | On a shield of rococo design: Argent three grape vines Proper supported and fructed. | Coat of arms of Connecticut (Wikimedia Commons category) | |
| Delaware | Statehood – 7 December 1787 Arms – 18 January 1847[18] Coat of arms of the state of Delaware, adopted in 1777[19] | Coat of arms of Delaware (Wikimedia Commons category) | ||
| Hawaii | Coat of arms of the state of Hawaii | Coat of arms of Hawaii (Wikimedia Commons category) | ||
| Louisiana | Statehood – 30 April 1812 Arms – 23 December 1813 | Coat of arms of Louisiana (Wikimedia Commons category) | ||
| Maryland | Statehood – 28 April 1788 Arms – 18 March 1876 | Quarterly first and fourth, a paly of six Or and Sable, a bend counterchanged; quarterly second and third, quarterly Argent and Gules a cross bottony counterchanged. Above the shield an earl's coronet surmounted by a barred helm affronté Argent. | Coat of arms of Maryland (Wikimedia Commons category) | |
| Massachusetts | Statehood – 6 February 1788 Arms – 13 December 1780[20] Coat of arms of the commonwealth of Massachusetts, adopted in 1775 (by Legislature, re-affirmed by Governor Hancock and Cabinet on December 13, 1780) | Azure a Native American thereon dressed in a shirt and moccasins in his right hand a bow and in his left an arrow point downward Or, in chief dexter shield having a blue field or surface with a Native American thereon, dressed in a shirt and moccasins, holding in his right hand a bow, and in his left hand an arrow, point downward, all of gold; and, in the upper corner of the field, above his right arm, a silver star with five points. The crest is a wreath of blue and gold, on which in gold is a right arm, bent at the elbow, clothed and ruffled, with the hand grasping a broadsword. | Coat of arms of Massachusetts (Wikimedia Commons category) | |
| Mississippi | Statehood – 10 December 1817 Arms – 6 February 1894 Arms of the state of Mississippi, adopted February 7, 2001[21] | Coat of arms of Mississippi (Wikimedia Commons category) | ||
| Missouri | Statehood – 10 August 1821 Arms – 11 January 1822[22] Coat of arms of the state of Missouri[23] | Coat of arms of Missouri (Wikimedia Commons category) | ||
| New Jersey | Statehood – 18 December 1787 Arms – 10 September 1776 Coat of arms of the state of New Jersey | Azure, three ploughs Proper; supporters, Liberty and Ceres. The Goddess Liberty to carry in her dexter hand a pole, proper, surmounted by a cap gules, with band azure at the bottom, displaying on the band six stars, argent; tresses falling on shoulders, proper; head bearing over all a chaplet of laurel leaves, vert; overdress, tenne; underskirt, argent; feet sandaled, standing on scroll. Ceres: Same as Liberty, save overdress, gules; holding in left hand a cornucopia, or, bearing apples, plums and grapes surrounded by leaves, all proper; head bearing over all a chaplet of wheat spears, vert. Shield surmounted by sovereign's helmet, six bars, or; wreath and mantling, argent and azure. Crest: A horse's head, proper. Underneath the shield and supporting the goddesses, a scroll azure, bordered with tenne, in three waves or folds; on the upper folds the words "Liberty and Prosperity"; on the under fold in Arabic numerals, the figures "1776" | Coat of arms of New Jersey (Wikimedia Commons category) | |
| North Dakota | Coat of arms of the state of North Dakota, adopted in 1957 | Device: On an Indian arrowhead point to base Or a bend vert charged with three mullets of the first, in base a fleur-de-lis of the second.Crest: On a wreath Or and azure, a sheaf of three arrows argent armed and flighted gules behind a stringed bow fessways Or with grip of the second (gules).Motto: Strength from the soil. | Coat of arms of North Dakota (Wikimedia Commons category) | |
| Pennsylvania | Statehood – 12 December 1787 Arms – 17 March 1875[24] Coat of arms of the commonwealth of Pennsylvania, adopted 1778 | Tierced per fess azure, Or, and vert; in chief a ship at sea proper; in fess a plough proper; in base three sheaves of wheat proper | Coat of arms of Pennsylvania (Wikimedia Commons category) | |
| Rhode Island | Statehood – 29 May 1790 Arms – 24 February 1875[25] Arms of the state of Rhode Island, adopted 1 February 1882[26] | Coat of arms of Rhode Island (Wikimedia Commons category) | ||
| Texas | Statehood – 29 December 1845 Arms – 25 January 1839[27] Arms of the state of Texas | Coat of arms of Texas (Wikimedia Commons category) | ||
| State | Arms | Blazon | Article | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska | Statehood – 3 January 1959 Arms – 3 January 1959 | Seal of Alaska (Wikimedia Commons category) | ||
| Arizona | Coat of arms of Arizona (Wikimedia Commons category) | |||
| Arkansas | Statehood – 15 June 1836 Arms – 3 May 1864[28] | Coat of arms of Arkansas (Wikimedia Commons category) | ||
| California | Statehood – 9 September 1850 Arms – 2 October 1849 | Coat of arms of California (Wikimedia Commons category) | ||
| Colorado | Statehood – August 1, 1876 Arms – March 15, 1877 CRS 24-80-901[29] | Coat of Arms of the State of Colorado (Wikimedia Commons category) | ||
| Florida | Statehood – 3 March 1845 Arms – 6 August 1868[30] | Coat of arms of Florida (Wikimedia Commons category) | ||
| Georgia | Statehood – 2 January 1788 Arms – 8 February 1799[31] | Coat of arms of Georgia (U.S. state) (Wikimedia Commons category) | ||
| Idaho | Organic Act – 3 March 1863[32] Arms – 13 March 1866[33] Statehood – 3 July 1890 | Coat of arms of Idaho (Wikimedia Commons category) | ||
| Illinois | Statehood – 3 December 1818 Arms – 7 March 1867[34] | Coat of arms of Illinois (Wikimedia Commons category) | ||
| Indiana | Statehood – 11 December 1816 Arms – 13 December 1816[35] | Coat of arms of Indiana (Wikimedia Commons category) | ||
| Iowa | Statehood – 28 December 1846 Arms – 25 February 1847[36] | Coat of arms of Iowa (Wikimedia Commons category) | ||
| Kansas | Statehood – 29 January 1861 Arms – 25 May 1861[37] | Coat of arms of Kansas (Wikimedia Commons category) | ||
| Kentucky | Statehood – 1 June 1792 Arms – 20 December 1792[38] | Coat of arms of Kentucky (Wikimedia Commons category) | ||
| Maine | Statehood – 15 March 1820 Arms – 9 June 1820[39] [40] Coat of arms of the state of Maine, adopted June 9, 1820[41] | Coat of arms of Maine (Wikimedia Commons category) | ||
| Michigan | Statehood – 26 January 1837 Arms – 2 June 1835[42] Coat of arms of the state of Michigan, adopted 1835, modified 1911[43] | Coat of arms of Michigan (Wikimedia Commons category) | ||
| Minnesota | Statehood – 11 May 1858 Arms – 16 July 1858[44] | Coat of arms of Minnesota (Wikimedia Commons category) | ||
| Montana | Organic Act – 26 May 1864 Arms – 9 February 1865[45] Statehood – 8 November 1889 | Coat of arms of Montana (Wikimedia Commons category) | ||
| Nebraska | Statehood – 1 March 1867 Arms – 15 June 1867[46] | Coat of arms of Nebraska (Wikimedia Commons category) | ||
| Nevada | Statehood – 31 October 1864 Arms – 24 February 1866[47] | Coat of arms of Nevada (Wikimedia Commons category) | ||
| New Hampshire | Statehood – 21 June 1788 Arms – 12 February 1785[48] | Coat of arms of New Hampshire (Wikimedia Commons category) | ||
| New Mexico | Organic Act – 9 September 1850 Arms – 1 February 1887[49] Statehood – 6 January 1912 | Coat of arms of New Mexico (Wikimedia Commons category) | ||
| New York | Statehood – 26 July 1788 Arms – 27 March 1809[50] Coat of arms of the state of New York | Coat of arms of New York (Wikimedia Commons category) | ||
| North Carolina | Statehood – 21 November 1789 Arms – 1835[51] | Coat of arms of North Carolina (Wikimedia Commons category) | ||
| Ohio | Statehood – 1 March 1803 Arms – 1 March 1803 Arms of the state of Ohio, adopted 1953, modified 1996[52] | Coat of arms of Ohio (Wikimedia Commons category) | ||
| Oklahoma | Statehood – 16 November 1907 Seal – 1905[53] (Oklahoma has no arms, only a great seal) | |||
| Oregon | Statehood – 14 February 1859 Arms – 2 June 1859[54] | Coat of arms of Oregon (Wikimedia Commons category) | ||
| South Carolina | Statehood – 23 May 1788 Arms – 2 April 1776[55] | Coat of arms of South Carolina (Wikimedia Commons category) | ||
| South Dakota | Statehood – 2 November 1889 Arms – 1 October 1889[56] | Coat of arms of South Dakota (Wikimedia Commons category) | ||
| Tennessee | Statehood – 1 June 1796 Arms – 24 April 1802[57] | Coat of arms of Tennessee (Wikimedia Commons category) | ||
| Utah | Organic Act – 9 September 1850 Arms – 9 September 1850[58] Statehood – 4 January 1896 Coat of arms of the state of Utah | Coat of arms of Utah (Wikimedia Commons category) | ||
| Vermont | Statehood – 4 March 1791 Arms – 20 February 1779[59] Coat of arms of the state of Vermont, adopted 1862 (by Act No. 11) | Coat of arms of Vermont (Wikimedia Commons category) | ||
| Virginia | Statehood – 25 June 1788 Arms – 1776 | Coat of arms of Virginia (Wikimedia Commons category) | ||
| Washington | Organic Act – 2 March 1853 Arms – 28 February 1854[60] | Coat of arms of Washington (Wikimedia Commons category) | ||
| West Virginia | Statehood – 20 June 1863 Arms – 26 September 1863[61] Arms of the state of West Virginia, adopted September 26, 1863 | Coat of arms of West Virginia (Wikimedia Commons category) | ||
| Wisconsin | Statehood – 29 May 1848 Arms – 29 December 1851[62] Coat of arms of the state of Wisconsin[63] | Coat of arms of Wisconsin (Wikimedia Commons category) | ||
| Wyoming | Organic Act – 25 July 1868[64] Statehood – 10 July 1890 | Coat of arms of Wyoming (Wikimedia Commons category) |
The coats of arms of the U.S. states date back to the admission of the first states to the Union. Despite the widely accepted practice of determining early statehood from the date of ratification of the United States Constitution, many of the original colonies referred to themselves as states shortly after the Declaration of Independence was signed on 4 July 1776. Committees of political leaders and intellectuals were established by state legislatures to research and propose a seal and coat of arms. Many of these members were signers of the Articles of Confederation, Declaration of Independence, and United States Constitution. Several of the earliest adopted state coats of arms and seals were similar or identical to their colonial counterparts.
State Arms of the Union, illustrated by Henry Mitchell and published by Louis Prang (known as the father of the lithographic industry), offers historically accurate renderings of the state's coats of arms as they existed in 1876. An accomplished engraver with the Bureau of Engraving and Printing for 40 years, Mitchell was responsible for engraving several coats of arms for official state use as well as arms for well-known educational and philanthropic organizations. The illustrations are presented alongside proof impressions from the engraved dies used to print the state arms on the first issue of United States National Bank Notes.
Published in 1876 by Louis Prang and illustrated by Henry Mitchell, State Arms of the Union contains a chromolithographed title page depicting the Great Seal of the United States and seven color plates with 45 state and territorial coats of arms. The book was likely published for the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition.[65]
Louis Prang was born 12 March 1824 in Breslau. At the age of 13 he began apprenticing for his father[66] and learned to dye and print calico, as well as wood and metal engraving.[67] Prang emigrated to Boston in 1850 and became an illustrator for a number of local publications.[68] Starting a business partnership in 1856 to manufacture copper and lithographic plates, Prang became sole proprietor in 1860 and named the company L. Prang & Co.[67] He specialized in color printing, more specifically "chromolithography"[66] Prang spent over four decades studying and creating a standard of colors[69] and engraved and printed maps, prints of contemporary celebrities, and color reproductions of famous works of art.[68] In 1875 Prang was responsible for introducing the Christmas card to America.[67] He created an annual design competition for his Christmas cards (run between 1880 and 1884), and judges included John La Farge, Samuel Colman, Stanford White, and Louis Comfort Tiffany.[66] Some of the notable winners included Elihu Vedder, Rosina Emmet Sherwood, Edwin Blashfield,[66] Thomas Moran, and Will Hicok Low.[68] Prang has become known as the "father of the American Christmas card",[66] [67] [68] as well as the "father of the lithographic industry".[69] [70]
Henry Mitchell was born in New York in 1835 and went to school in Philadelphia.[71] At the age of 10 he began working with his uncle[72] to learn the trade of gem and steel engraving.[73] By the age of 20 (1855), Mitchell had engraved the official seals for the Kingdom of Hawaii.[73] [74] In 1868 Mitchell joined the Bureau of Engraving and Printing and for 40 years engraved stamped envelopes.[75] Through his BEP work, Mitchell was also responsible for engraving the seal of the Secretary of the Navy and the Internal Revenue Service.[74] He also engraved the state seals for Massachusetts,[73] New York,[74] New Hampshire,[74] Vermont,[73] Rhode Island,[72] and Wisconsin.[76] Outside of state and federal government engraving, Mitchell engraved the seals and coats of arms for many well-known institutions which include Harvard University, Society of the Cincinnati, and Boston Public Library.[74] He engraved the Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition award medal (1876) which was struck in the Philadelphia Mint.[77] In 1891, Mitchell was invited by the Secretary of the Treasury to join a committee to evaluate the artistic design proposals for a new issue of U.S. coins. The two other members were Charles E. Barber, Chief Engraver of the United States Mint, and Augustus Saint-Gaudens.[78] [79]
In addition to being considered an expert on heraldry,[74] Mitchell was regarded as one of the best engravers[71] [72] and medal designers in the United States.[80]
A state coat of arms provided an opportunity to convey the natural and industrial resources available to its residents.[81] Common themes depicted in state arms include farming, industry, transportation (e.g., boats, trains, and wagons), and nature (e.g., sunsets and mountains). The Ohio and Indiana state arms depict fairly substantial mountains in the distance. In reality, the highest points in Ohio and Indiana are Campbell Hill (1550feet)[82] and Hoosier Hill (1257feet)[83] respectively.
When State Arms of the Union was published in 1876, some existing arms were not included (e.g., Arizona and Washington Territory). At the time, Alaska was classified as the Department of Alaska (1867–84) and became the District of Alaska (1884–1912) before becoming the Territory of Alaska (1912–59). The Alaska territorial seal was designed in 1910[84] and adopted in 1913.[85] On 3 January 1959 Alaska became the 49th U.S. State.[86] The Oklahoma Territory (1890–1907) Organic Act was approved on 2 May 1890, and a territorial seal was adopted on 10 January 1893.[87] Hawaii, formerly the Kingdom of Hawaii (1795–1893), Republic of Hawaii (1894–98), and then Territory of Hawaii (1898–1959) became the 50th U.S. State on 21 August 1959.[88] None of the territories or states mentioned above had a coat of arms represented on national currency.
See main article: United States heraldry. The design of a state coat of arms or seal has generally been authorized by a provision in the state constitution or a legislative act. In most instances a committee (more often than not consisting of three members)[89] [90] [91] [92] was appointed to study the issue, seek advice from qualified artists, historians, legal scholars, etc., and report back to the authorizing legislative body with a design for their approval. Historically, this committee has consisted of notable members of society and elected officials.
The first committee to design the Great Seal of the United States was appointed on 4 July 1776 by the Second Continental Congress and consisted of Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson.[93] Their design was rejected on 20 August 1776. The second committee (James Lovell, John Morin Scott, and William Churchill Houston) design met with the same fate.[89] It was the third committee (Arthur Middleton, Elias Boudinot, John Rutledge, who consulted with William Barton) that submitted a design which was approved on 20 July 1782.[89]
Individual states approached their coats of arms and seals in a similar manner (i.e., seeking direction from the statesmen and scholars of their community). A few of those involved in the design of state arms and seals include (but is not limited to): John Jay and Gouverneur Morris (New York);[90] Francis Hopkinson (New Jersey);[94] David Rittenhouse and George Clymer (Pennsylvania);[92] and George Mason, Benjamin Franklin, Benjamin West, and Thomas Jefferson (Virginia).[95]
An impression of the Great Seal of a state (or its coat of arms) has long been required on official documents ranging from deeds to legislative acts. It was the emblem that certified the authenticity of a given document[96] or that the authority of the state was invested in said document.[96] Judicial decisions upheld the need for a valid seal and/or coat of arms on notarized documents.
One of the more compelling legislative actions recognizing the legal importance/authority of the state seal and arms occurred in February 1873 when a joint session of the United States Congress refused to recognize Arkansas's electoral votes in the November 1872 presidential election.[97] The official tally of the state's electoral votes was submitted with an invalid seal (bearing the coat of arms of the office of the Secretary of the State of Arkansas versus the seal of the state of Arkansas bearing the state arms).[97] [98] [99]
Courts and state legislatures also opined on the inappropriate uses of state seals and arms. Most states barred their use for any kind of advertising. Reproduction for corporate use was similarly prohibited[100] and such infractions were classified as offenses against public property.[101] The 2003 Code of Federal Regulations pertaining to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives prohibits the use of state seals or coats of arms in product branding so as not to mislead the public into thinking that a commercial product has been endorsed by a government organization.[102]
| District/Territory | Arms | Blazon | Article | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | Organic Act – 21 February 1790[103] Arms – 3 August 1871[104] | Coat of arms of the District of Columbia (Wikimedia Commons category) | ||
| Puerto Rico | Coat of arms of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico |